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Two days ago I had a local HVAC company come out and do a check up on the A/C system of my home. The system wasn't giving me any problems. It had been over a hundred degrees here for about six straight days and the temperature in the house was lagging about three degrees behind where I had the thermostat set (74 degrees) and I just wanted to make sure the system was full of freon and working properly. My house is fourteen years old and so is the Carrier unit so I have it serviced every spring and fall to keep it running smoothly.
Here's where the fishy part starts. The guy who came out said he had to add 1.5 pounds of freon. They have told me this each spring for the last five years. They always say the same thing, that the coils are leaking and need to be replaced, but I always just have them top off the freon and everything has been just fine until this year. When he left everything was running properly. He checked all the vents with a thermometer to make sure they were cooling at the proper temperature and the a/c compressor pump and motor were purring like a kitten. The air worked perfect, just like it did before they did anything to it. The following day I came home from work to find my house a staggering 88 degrees inside. The outside unit was working and the fan was blowing air out the vents inside but it was blowing out hot air.(It was 98 degrees outside). Every few minutes I could hear a groan from the attic (where my heat/ac unit is located) like something was trying to cut on but the lights would dim slightly and then it would stop groaning and just keep blowing hot air. They came out the next day and said that my compressor motor needed a "hard start" kit because it was getting old and needed a boost with cutting the compressor on. My question is could this just happen to the a/c motor overnight? I just can't believe my a/c unit went from running perfectly (never one problem with starting the compressor motor) to not running at all one day after they serviced it and added freon. Has anybody ever heard of this before? Any answers are greatly appreciated!

Jeff, It is not an insult i just want you to think. You say your ac was working fine before he came out, But then in the same sentence you said it was running 3 degrees behind. Well then was it running fine??? If they put 1.5 lbs of "Freon" in for the past five years every year, Then wasn't it giving you problems? Can you say at this point that your ac was always running fine? Your ac didn't go from running perfectly to not running at all in one day, The compressor went form running to needing a hard start kit IN 14 YEARS!!!!!!! It didn't just happen overnight, It happened in 14 years, Your lucky you got 14 years with only adding 7.5 lbs of "Freon" to your AC. 1.5 pounds can be a significant amount to a residential system. Adding refrigerant every year to your system does not mean you never had a problem with your system. And also means your compressor runs without the proper charge, Compressors use the proper charge to cool themselves, So without it you have a strain on the compressor. I hate to say it but start budgeting for a new unit.

I have also been "challenged" by an A/C repair company here...it is very frustrating to say the least. But, we consumers have to stick together.

Marge. You gotta be kidding me?
They should pay because of the insects that inhabit YOUR backyard?
You know for a FACT that the ants where not there two weeks prior on the inspection?
I mean i feel a little sympathy for you. Maybe they should have done more to resolve the problem. Like take the mixed classes Trane offers on repairing HVAC systems and pest control.. I can see it now. "Call Trane. HVAC and pest control".

I have also been "challenged" by an A/C repair company here...it is very frustrating to say the least. But, we consumers have to stick together.

Its not a scam.
Why would you put ant bait in the A/C, you trying to get more ants to go into the unit. Ants don't always take the straightest path.

Just one of the warnings that should be put on A/Cs.

Ants, bees, ear wings, mice, spiders, snakes, squirrels, opposums, birds, weed whackers, children with pellet guns, fences, grass trimmings, laying objects on the condenser, piling mulch near the condenser, building patio decks above the condenser, planting trees or shrubbery near the condenser, using the condenser for a clothes dryer, defrosting or reheating food on the condenser can cause it too fail.

I have had brand new compressors that needed a hardstart. Compressor tested fine eletrically> Copeland would not warranty compressor as long as it would run. Barely got credit for hardstart. 14 years old you got remember compressors like car motors have bearings sooner or later the bearings do begin to wear. Not uncommon for old compressors to need a kick in the pants to start. But a hard start is just a bandaid might last 5 years or 5 seconds no way to tell. Start saving your pennies time for new unit.

Talked to (Oh what do they call one of those people that study bugs) Anyway he was a customer He said that the AC power cycle in the US attracts the ants to the contactor. And once one gets zapped the others attack.